Closure operating device



April 1937- MV 5. KIRKPATRICK 2,075,814

CLOSURE OPERATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS April 6, 1937.

M. S. KIRKPATRICK CLOSURE OPERATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,075,814 CLOSURE OPERATING DEVICE Martin S. Kirkpatrick, San Antonio, Tex.

Application February 25, 1935, Serial No. 8,151

1 Claim.

This invention relates to closure operating devices, and its general object is to provide an automatic operating device that is primarily designed for use with gates, garage doors and the like in that the device is operated by the weight of a vehicle, such as an automobile to allow a closure to open by the action of gravity and when the weight is relieved to allow it to close accordingly, therefore it will be seen that the closure is opened to allow the vehicle to pass through and then closed without manual contact.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the above character, which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and extremely efficient in operation and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing myinvention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of my device showing the parts arranged with the gate closed.

Figure 2 is an end view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, with the parts arranged when the gate is open.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating some details of my device.

, Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that I have illustrated my operating device as being associated with a gate, but of course it is to be understood that it can be used with doors and particularly garage doors, as the device is primarily designed to be operated by a motor vehicle.

The device in the form as shown includes uprights disposed in spaced relation with respect to each other to provide a passageway and bridging the uprights, as well as secured to the upper ends thereof is a cross piece I that cooperates with the uprights to provide a frame.

Each upright preferably includes a pair of spaced members 2 of the same length and width, and these members 2 are held in spaced relation by the cross piece I at the upper end thereof and a cross piece 3 at the lower ends, as shown in Figure 2. The cross piece 3 is lilSGWiSe secured hanger stirrups II which have secured thereto to the members 2 in the same manner as the cross piece I, therefore it will be seen that the members 2 of each upright are equi-distantly spaced throughout the length thereof to provide guideways for a purpose which will be presently de- 5 scribed. The lower ends of the uprights as well as the cross piece 3 are embedded in the ground, in the form as shown, but of course any suitable fastening means may be provided for the frame in the event it is desired to secure it on the level 10 of the ground.

Arranged laterally of one of the uprights and being aligned therewith, with its lower end fixed in the ground or otherwise is a support 4 that is preferably disposed at an outward inclination, 15 and pivotally secured to the upper end of the support a is a beam 5, the latter extending through the space between the members 2 of the uprights and has secured to its lower edge a trackway which consists of a pair of flanged mem- 20 bers 6 depending from the opposite sides of the beam and fixed thereto by bolt and nut connections 1. The flanges of the members 6 are disposed toward each other, but spaced to provide a passageway, and the flanges together with the 25 other portions of the members 6 form a channel for supporting rollers 8 that run upon the flanges,

as clearly shown in Figure 3.

The gate as shown is of the usual construction with the exception that the end members 9 and 30 H] are of different lengths, so that the end member I0 will be disposed in a plane above the upper end of the end member 9, and secured to the upper ends of each of the end members are and rising therefrom flat shank members l2 for passage through the space between the flanges of the members 6, and the flat shank members have secured to and passing through the upper ends thereof axles for the rollers 8. 40

The gate is of a width to allow for its free passage through the space between the members 2 of the uprights, but the ends of the flanged members which provide the trackways are closed,

so that the gateway is limited in its movement 5 to each end of the trackway, as will be apparent upon inspection of Figures 1 and 4.

Anchored a relatively great distance from the frame, in front and in the rear thereof are blocks 13, there being one block for each side of 50 the frame, and these blocks are arranged at an inclination from the surface of the ground toward the frame, as clearly shown in Figure 2. Hingedly secured to each of the blocks is one of the ends of platforms M which are directed to- 55 ward the frame, and in the form as shown, these platforms are relatively narrow but are of sufiicient width to receive the tread of the tire of a motor vehicle.

Secured to the underside of each of the platforms at their opposite .ends thereof is a bracket I5 that includes spaced parallel apertured ears [6 for the purpose of pivotally mounting one of the ends of arms ll thereto. These ends of the arms l1 are slotted, with the pivot pin l8 bridging the ears l6 and received in the slot, as will be noted upon inspection of Figure 5.

The arms I! are pivotally secured intermediate their ends to the adjacent upright and in a manner whereby an arm I! is arranged upon opposite sides of the upright, with the remaining portions of the arms extending laterally thereof, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4.

The beam 5 extends through the last mentioned upright and has pivotally secured to its free end the upper bifurcated end IQ of a lever 20, while their lower bifurcated end 2| is pivotally secured to the outer ends of the arms H, as best shown in Figure 2. The arms and lever are of a length for disposing the beam at a downward inclination toward the frame when they are disposed at an acute angle with respect to each other as shown in Figure 1, but when the arm. and lever are arranged at an obtuse angle the beam is disposed at a downward inclination in an opposite direction as shown in Figure 4.

From the above description and disclosure of the drawings, it will be obvious that the gate is operated to either its open or closed position by the action of gravity, which of course is brought about by the movement of the beam '5 to its respective inclined positions, and the beam is moved accordingly by the application of the weight of a vehicle on either one of the platforms, and through the medium of the arm and lever. Assuming that a vehicle was approaching the gatebination and arrangement of lieved from the left hand platform, the gate will close.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the comthe several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A closure operating device comprising a closure receiving frame and a support, tiltable means having one end pivoted to the support and guided by the frame, a closure slidably mounted on the tiltable means for movement by gravity, vehicle receiving platforms extending at right angles to the frame upon opposite sides thereof, anchored hinge means for the outer ends of the platforms, brackets secured to the underside of the inner ends and including spaced ears, a straight arm for each bracket and pivoted intermediate their ends to the frame, and having slotted ends pivoted to the brackets between the ears thereof, a lever having bifurcated ends with one bifurcated end disposed between the opposite ends of the arms and pivoted thereto, and the other bifurcated end being pivoted to the tiltable means, said arms and lever disposed at an angle to each other and normally holding the tiltable means inclined in one direction for allowing the closure to slide to and normally remain in closed position, and to move the tiltable means in an opposite direction upon the application of a vehicle to either platform to allow the closure to slide to open position.

MARTIN S. KIRKPATRICK. 

